The gun turned out to be a .22 caliber housed in a replica of an assault rifle, although that was far from clear from the photo.

Shawn Moore, from his online posts, appears to be a guy who sees gun-grabbers behind every bush. And even though no one took his guns, he’s still up in arms that might have happened. Again: Didn’t happen; might have happened.

Any parent should be alarmed that a simple phone call from a stranger can prompt the cops and DYFS to show up at your door to question your parenting skills.

However, in this case, all we can say is, “Amen.”

Amen that someone expressed concern to authorities about a photo of what looks like a fifth-grader holding a military-style assault weapon.

Amen that authorities took it seriously enough to investigate. They may have big-footed their home visit a bit, but look at it from their point of view: They thought they were dealing with a household that allowed children access to heavy-duty weaponry. They had no idea what they might encounter. They had a right to act in a manner that kept them safe.

It all turned out the father's gun ownership was perfectly legal. They left. They never returned. They didn’t confiscate his guns, and they didn’t even confiscate the kid’s rifle.

He says he had given the gun to his son for one of their hunting trips. Perfectly within his right to do that – although it’s not the choice all parents would make.

Here’s why: The rifle is so realistic-looking it could’ve produced tragedy had the kid been seen running through his neighborhood with it. It’s his own child who would’ve been most at risk of being accidentally shot.

And now Dad is complaining, happily playing the victim of storm troopers. Surely he knew that in a country still reeling from the Newtown school shootings, children and guns are a volatile mixture. Surely he knew no prudent police department or school district would ignore the tip about such a Facebook image.

Instead, he went ahead with a post he knew would be provocative. And surprise, people who want to make sure kindergartners aren’t killed were provoked.

Note: An earlier post incorrectly indicated the gun in the photo was a toy.